Electric-railway conduit and contact



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

J. DAVIS 8v R. M. HUNTINGTON. ELECTRIC RAILWAY CONDUIT AND CONTACT.

No. 493,618. Patented Mar. 14, 1893.

/////////U////////////U//////// l (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

J. DAVIS & R. IVI. HUNTINGTON. ELECTRIC RAILWAY GONDUIT AND CONTACT.

Patented Mar. 14,1893.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOEL DAVIS AND REUBEN M. HUNTINGTON, OE DENVER, COLORADO.

ELECTRIC-RAILWAY CONDUIT AND CONTACT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 493,618, dated March14, 1893.

Application filed October 2, 1891. Serial No. 407,492. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOEL DAVIS and REU- BEN M. HUNTINGTON, citizens ofthe United States 0f America, residing at Denver, in the county ofArapahoe and State of Colorado, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Electrical Railroad Systems; and we do declare thefollowing to be a t'ull, clear, and exact description of the invention,such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,and to the figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part ofthis specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in electrical railroad systems 0Tthe class having an underground conduit in which is supported a gatherercarried bythe car the motors being connected in multiple arc with thesupply conductor.

The same conduit nowr employed in cable railroad systems may be utilizedfor the purpose of our improved electrical systems and where the cableas a motive power, is being abandoned and electricity substituted ourimproved system can be constructed at small cost. Hence our system hasbeen designed with special reference to the utilization of abandonedcable road conduits, the object of the invention being to provide a roadwherein all overhead wires and exposed or live contacts shall be avoidedand in which the main conducting wires or plates shall be thoroughlyinsulated from all surrounding objects except the gatherer carried bythe car, and so supported within the conduit as to be entirely removedfrom any water that may find its way thereinto.

A further object of the invention is to furnish a system of simple andeconomical construction, reliable, durable, and thoroughly practicablein use.

The invention will be thoroughly understood by reference to theaccompanying drawings in connection with the description hereinaftergiven.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a vert-ical section taken through theconduit showing the gatherer carried by the car, in place. Fig. 2 is ahorizontal longitudinal section taken through the center of the conduit.Fig. 3 is an enlarged underneath view of the gatherer with the wheels ordisks removed, their location being indicated by dotted lines. Fig. 4 isa side view of the same showing the disks in place. Fig. 5 is a topviewon an enlarged scale ofthe bar supporting the gatherer and carryingthe current therefrom to the motor on the car. The obj ect of this Viewis to illustrate the manner of insulating this vertical conductor. Fig.6 is an enlarged horizontal section showing the manner ot supporting theconducting plates Within the conduit, also the manner of insulating thesame therefrom.

In the views, similar reference characters indicating correspondingparts or elements of the mechanism, let the numeral 10 designate thewheels of a car, the body portion of which is not shown. The railsengaged by the wheels are supported upon the plates 11, which in turnrest upon suitable shoulders formed upon the yokes 12, located atintervals as in cable track construction. WVithin these yokes is locatedthe conduit 5 having concrete or other suitable walls 6, and providedwith a longitudinal slot 7 extending upward to the surface and inclosedby metal plates 8, between which the supporting arm 9 of the gatherer 13moves as the car is passing.

To the walls 6 of the conduit and located about half way between the topand bottom are secured the horizontal projecting bars 15. These bars arein the form of bolts passing through the sides of the walls 6 from whichthey are separated by divided insulating blocks having side recesses 18into which dip the walls of the conduit. These insulating blocks consistof a body portion 17 and an outer cap 17, adapted to slip over the outerextremity of the bolt which is provided with a shoulder 15a engaging theinner extremity of said body part.

To the inner extremities of bars 15 are secured insulating blocks 19 towhich are bolted or otherwise suitably secured the copperplates 20. Theobject of insulating both extremities of bars l5 is to form a doublesafeguard against any leakage of the current therethrough from theconducting plates. The inner extremity of bar 15 is provided with a head21 which is secured within a suitable recess formed in block 19.Anotherinsulating plate is then placed in contact with head 21 lling therecess. The conducting plates are then secured to blocks 19 as beforestated. Plates 2O form in cect a single conductor divided into twoparts, one ou either side ot' the conduit, the current being carriedfrom a suitable source of electricity and after passing through theconducting plates, the circuit is completed va the ground in theordinary manner.

The current gatherer 13 consists of an insulating plate 22 to which aremovably journaled the rotating contact disks 23 by the use of thehorizontally sliding spring-actuated boxes 24. The springs 25 engagingthese boxes are located Within recesses 26 formedin plates 22 and holdthe peripheriesof the disks 23, which are two in number in contact atall times with the plates on opposite sides of the conduit each diskengaging a plate, making the two plates in eiect a single conductor. Itwill thus be seen that the two springs 26, while exactly alike areoppositely disposed and have a tendency to move their respective blocks24 together with the wheels 23 in opposite directions. rlhe disks 23 andboxes 24 form good conductors of the current which passes from plates 20through them to a conductor 27 provided with bent extremities 28 whichare continuously in contact with boxes 24 respectively. Conductor 27leads to the central conducting plate 28 of the vertical bar 9, thecurrent passing therethrough to the motor on the car. Plate 28 issurrounded by a sheath 29 of insulating material, said sheath being inturn protected bya suitable metallic covering 30 in order to give thebar proper strength and durability. Bar 9 being properly secured to thecar and connected with the motor thereon, the current passes from plates20 through disks 23 and their journals, boxes 24, conductors 27 and 28to the motor, making the return in the usual manner as before stated.

Having thus described ourinvention, what we claim isl. In an electricalrailroad system the combination of the underground conduit havingtwo-part insulating blocks provided with reu cesses into which the Wallsof the conduit dip on opposite sides, bolts passing through said blocksand carrying other insulating blocks at their inner extremities, thelongitudinally divided conductor having its parts attached to theinsulating blocks carried by the bolts,

the gatherer carried by the car and provided at its lower extremity witha slotted plate, movable spring actuated boxes located in said slots andcarrying rotatable disks engaging the side conductors, from which thecurrent passes to the motor on the car through the medium of the disks,ljournal boxes and conducting plate of the gatherer, substantially asdescribed.

2. In an electrical railroad' system the combination of the undergroundconduit having the two part insulating blocks recessed to receive thewalls of the conduit, a block being located on each side, bolts passingthrough said blocks, the longitudinally divided conductor having itsparts attached to the extremities of the bolts butinsulated therefrom,the gatherer carried bythe car, and provided at its lower extremity witha slotted plate, movable spring aptuated boxes located in said slots andcarrying rotatable disks engaging the side conductors, from which thecurrent passes to the motor on the car through the medium of the disks,journal boxes and conducting plate of the gatherer,substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof we aftix oursignatu res in presence of twowitnesses.

JOEL DAVIS. REUBEN M. HUNTINGTON.

Witnesses:

WM. MCCONNELL, C. J. RoLLANDE'r.

